What do you take to work for lunch every day?

Just trying to get some ideas on what is something easy to take for lunch to work everyday.    What does everyone here take?

My favourite standby are wholemeal pittas... filled with an assortment of goodies ranging from hummus and cucumber to roast beef, chicken, cottage cheese and ham.... anything goes.  And then I add things like fruit, yoghurts and home-made muesli bars to have as snacks during the day. 

For my main lunch food:

whole wheat pita with tuna, salad with shredded rotissierie chicken, black olives, chickpeas, carrots, hard boiled egg, etc. whatever you want really, low sodium Progresso soups, Lean Cuisine single dishes (for days when I'm lazy)

Snacks:

yogurt, Reduced fat Wheat Thins & Laughing Cow Light wedge, Quakes rice cakes, 100 calorie popcorn bags, no sugar added pre packaged fruit cups, whole fresh fruit (bananas, pears, grapes, peaches, all my favs)

Try new things. You'll find stuff that works for you :)

 

 

 

Every day I bring a bison, elk, beef, ostrich, venison or lamb burger - the protein tides me over for a very long time so I am not thinking about food when I am suppose to be working!! 

Where do you get all those interesting burgers? 

I tend to bring 4 oz of whatever meat is leftover from last night's dinner  with a lot of the veggies that are left over as well.

I am absolutely fond of Fresh Express Veggie Lover's salad, I have containers that measure two cups, and I don't even bother with dressing (scary calories!!) so I get creative and take toppings to put on at work like small amounts of walnuts, raisins, a little shredded cheese and pepper. Voila! delicious. I also take the Quaker Cakes with, they're actually really helpful getting through those nagging hunger pains-- and also a bag of baby carrots aren't far from my sights. Occasionally, I portion out leftovers to give myself something different every now and then. (I'm addicted to measuring cups... you'd be surprised at some portion sizes nowadays!)

Absolutely invest in a large water bottle and drink plenty of water throughout the day. Not only does it help boost your fat burning metabolism, it helps clean you out of impurities and make your skin glow! :-D

I also like to take leftovers when I have them. However, my favorite quick bites to tide me over or provide a yummy dessert are Fat Free and/or Sugarfree pudding snacks, fiber one bars, high fiber bagels (I love atkins brand-- 190 calories, 20 g. of protein, and 11 g. of fiber). Fresh veggies such as celery, peppers, cucumbers, or carrots are great dipped in fat free refried beans-- a great boost of protein plus at least 7 grams of fiber, all for just over 100 calories. Lots of water, skim milk, and the occasional diet soda keep me hydrated :)

Besides the old standby of leftovers, things I sometimes take to work include whole wheat english muffins, tupperware containers of fruit, salads with imitation crab and a quickie homemade soy sauce dressing, chopped veggie sticks of carrot, daikon, cucumber, Dannon light yogurt, tortilla wraps full of veggies, packets of instant miso soup or oatmeal, Balance bars, etc.  Variety is the spice of life...

I usually take a salad and a sandwich or soup if I'm in a hurry.  Its quick & easy.

Another good thing, if you like beans, is a bean salad. Mixed beans & chickpeas, chopped vegis (carrots, celery & onion work best) and a touch of your favourite dressing - lots of protien, and you can make it at the beginning of the week and it'll last till the end. Eat it with some lettus and some fruit for desert, and you're good for the day.

A salad is always my main course with some variety to keep it interesting.

My salad format:

1. Lettuce (Romaine, Spinach, Iceberg, Endive)      &n bsp; 
2. 2-3 Raw Veggies other than lettuce
3. 1 Jarred or canned veg
4. 5oz. Protein (Fish, beans or tofu)
5. Fat Free salad dressing
6. 1oz Healthy fat (nuts, avocados)

Dessert is a piece of whole fruit and a yogurt        &nb sp;               &nb sp;               &nb sp;           

I make my lunches for the week on Sunday and store them in tuperware.  I bring veggies and rice, or veggie soup, or a salad w/protein AND fat free yogurt and fruit.    Sometimes by Friday I'm sick and tired of the same old same old so I ditch the tuperware lunch and grab a lean cusine or buy lunch out.  It's nice to have something to look forward to after being good all week!

bringing my lunch saves me about $50 a week!

I take baby carrots, a sandwich on whole wheat bread with lean turkey or ham and fat free cheese, lettuce and mustard, and then for my afternoon snack i have diet hot cocoa and activia light yogurt

I am here, starving and waiting for lunch and this reminded me of what I have to look forward to.

Today's lunch is a large WW tortilla (180 cals) with a tbsp of fat free mayo (15 cals) and 1/2 tbsp of dijon mustard (10 cals) and then FILLED to the brim with spinach, broccoli sprouts, tomato, green pepper, mushrooms (50 calories) and sprinkled with 1/8 cup reduced-fat feta crumbles (40 cals).

A great 300 calorie lunch - throw in a piece of fruit or some carrot/celery sticks and you've got it made in the shade. 2 servings of grains and 3+ of veggies/fruit for under 400 calories.

:)

Other days, I have (usually vegetarian - I do chicken or shellfish / fish only 2 - 3 times a week, at dinner:

• homemade soup (veggie / lentil / black bean) with a piece of toast and cheese, or a
• large salad (spinach, cherry tomatos, black beans and corn) with a toasted pita bread and salsa or tzatziki for dipping, or a
• pizza bagel or pita (150 cals worth - a diet bagel or pita) with pizza sauce, loaded with roasted and fresh veggies and a sprinkle of cheese, or a
• toaster oven quesadilla (1/2 tortilla, folded, stuffed and toasted with veggies (mushrooms, spinach, tomato, peppers, whatever else) and 1/4 cup reduced-fat mozzarella, or a
• whole grain veggie sandwich with veggies, or
• LEFTOVERS - sometimes a bit of pasta, sometimes a leftover turker burger patty, sometimes a bit of chicken or shrimp on a salad, etc.

Who's hungry?!?!! ME!

I generally take leftovers, so it depends on what I cooked for dinner that week!  However, lacking leftovers, I will also take sandwiches - today I have a tofu, spinach and tomato sandwich with miso mayo. Yesterday it was portabella mushroom, sprouts and hummus. I also love an assorted raw veggie sandwich with hummus or miso mayo.  Sometimes I will make huge salads and bring those as well, but take a bit more prep time.  My favorite is my Mexican salad - chopped romaine, black beans, green onions, corn, tomatoes, chopped avocadoes, then for the dressing, blend cilantro, lime juice, avocadoes, and salsa.  OMG I want some now!

For snacks I usually bring baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and/or almonds, soynuts, and wasabi peas.  I bring about 4-6 servings of fruit every morning for breakfast, and sometimes I don't finish it so I eat what's left as an afternoon snack.